Abstract
For the activation analysis of mercury, Hg 197, with a 65 hr half-life, 68 keV X-quanta and 77 keV gamma quanta, has been selected. It was found that evaporation is serious even if certain precautions are taken. All samples were therefore sealed in quartz tubes. Gamma spectra were, after aging, recorded without breaking the tubes. The sensitivity limit is, at neutron flux 10 12 n/cm 2 sec, about 0·03 μg. In the parts-per-million region and higher, a 5–10 per cent maximum error is typical. The method has been used since 1957 and has been applied to several hundred samples comprising biological tissue, blood, faeces, cellulose, paper, seed grains, pharmaceutical products, historical remains, aluminum and aluminium corrosion products. It is probably less practical than the gas spectrophotometric method for cellulose and water but might be a practical suggestion for biological samples and aluminum products and, of course, for various sorts of comparisons with other analytical methods for mercury at low levels.
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